Pair of Bronze Age bowl barrows situated on Maple Hill in Wychwood Forest

Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

The pair of Bronze Age bowl barrows situated on Maple Hill are well-preserved examples which have survived, despite being small in size, due to their location in dense woodland. They have not been disturbed by excavation and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction and the landscape in which they were built.

Details

The monument includes a pair of Bronze Age bowl barrows orientated north-south and located on the highest point of the heavily wooded Maple Hill, in Wychwood Forest. The northern barrow mound measures 10.8m in diameter and stands up to 0.4m high. Surrounding the mound but no longer visible at ground level, is a quarry ditch from which material was obtained during its construction. This ditch has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The southern barrow mound measures 9.5m in diameter and stands up to 0.7m high. This is also surrounded by a buried ditch c.2m wide. The two barrows are separated by a distance of 4.4m.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21774

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Mudd, A, Round Barrows of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, (1983)
Mudd, A, Round Barrows of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, (1983)
Benson, D, The Victoria History of the County of Oxfordshire: Volume II, (1907)

Other
PRN 1335, C.A.O., Round Barrow, (1984)
PRN 1336, C.A.O., Round Barrow, (1984)
SP 31 NW 25, RCHM(E), 2 ? ROUND BARROWS,

End of official list entry

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